New Testimonials

Martin Doyle has recently received two very glowing and kind testimonials for his flute making efforts. The first testimonial is from Irish flute player Mike Kenneally of County Galway:

I love the flute, Martin. Maybe I should say what it is I like about it. Well, first of all it vibrates very freely without much effort of blowing. It is finely in tune with itself and the tone is rich and smooth. The keyed notes have a clarity and strength that I have not encountered before, and I think that ending the flute at the low D makes all the difference to that note. Another good point that I have noticed is that it is very easy to do breath vibrato on it. So all in all a job very well done. Congratulations. I can perhaps, appreciate more than most the work that went into making such a superior instrument, because I do a bit of woodturning myself.

The second testimonial is from German flute player Stefan Thamm of Freiburg:

Hi Martin,
Your flute arrived just an hour ago. I tried it just a few minutes, to play it in gently, and I have to say it is an awesome flute. I really love it!
I have been playing the Irish flute for just nine months now. First I had a pretty cheap instrument made from carbon fibre which was relatively easy to play, but the sound was not so good and some notes were out of tune. Then I got a wooden flute of a renowned flute maker. The sound was really good but, for me, it was difficult to play and needed a lot of air.
Now, after trying your flute, I’m pretty speechless – it’s a whole new experience of playing. I did read the testimonials on your website before ordering. Everybody was talking about the ‘ease of playing’ your flutes and I couldn’t really believe that the experience with a Martin Doyle flute would be so much of a difference compared to other flutes. But now I totally understand what they meant. I can not believe that playing the Irish flute could be that easy. All notes are perfect in tune, there’s really no effort to produce a great sound, even with very little air.
So THANK YOU SO MUCH for making such great instruments.

More testimonials for Martin Doyle’s flutes can be viewed here: Testimonials »

Responsive Template

March 2015: a new template for Martin Doyle Flutes.

Martin Doyle’s website has also just received a rebuild using a responsive HTML template called Finesse. Modifications have also made to how the information and pricing for all models and aspects of Martin Doyle’s flutes are displayed. The new Flutes and Prices section is where most of these changes have occurred and we hope that they enhance the visitor experience to Martin Doyle Flutes.

The two tunes that Ronan Browne has offered, Planxty Irwin and Hector the Hero, that are both being played on a Martin Doyle D flute made of Cocus wood. They can be heard here »

The following are Cathal’s words:

“My friend, flute maker and flute player extraordinaire Martin Doyle made my B-flat and C flutes, both of which are a complete joy to play! On a recent visit he also gave my aging Rudall and Rose a much-needed and thorough overhaul. Its cork had been there 150 years!!! A heartfelt thank you Martin, for your craftsmanship as well as your kindness.”

More testimonials from people who play Martin Doyle flutes can be viewed here »

Our gratitude to Ronan and Cathal for their generous contributions and support.

New Testimonial

Martin Doyle recently sent a flute to Russia and, after some initial delays, it finally reached the hands of its new owner who kindly expressed his joy with these words:

Hello, Mr Doyle!
I finally got the flute and it is incredibly beautiful! You are an expert in beauty and the sound is perfect! I have never seen and never played a flute easier than this one. This is a work of art for me!

Lately I’ve been studying a lot about the relationship between geometry and the sound of flutes. But the strong D of this flute – a mystery to me. I do not know how you manage to do this. This flute permits me to do the impossible! Unfortunately, I don’t quite know very well English, to tell you my impressions! But, believe me, it’s endless! I have very long dreamed of a flute like this and now the dream has come true!
Sincerely,
Ivan Pustovalov.

Left-handed Keyed Flutes

Martin Doyle recently completed a left-handed six key flute for Clare flute player Brian Morgan. An image of that flute has been loaded onto Martin’s website and can be viewed here »

New Tunes Added

Having received his new flute and being the enthusiastic type, Brian Morgan got together with Martin Doyle and Martin’s son Joe for a session at Martin’s home. Martin recorded Brian and Joe playing some tunes together and the results can be heard here »
(Many thanks to Ronan Browne for identifying the three reels in this set.)

In the interests of serving those who play simple system flutes, Martin Doyle has added fingering charts for simple system keyless D flutes to his website. Printable PDF versions of the fingering charts are also available to download.

These fingering charts are inspired by the fingering charts published by Johann Joachim Quantz (1697–1773) in his treatise On Playing the Flute which was first published in 1752. Martin Doyle studied Quantz at the beginning of his flute making career and found On Playing the Flute to be a great source of inspiration and information regarding simple system flutes and eighteenth century music in general.

MDF gets a facelift

It has to happen every now and then… spring cleaning that is. And in New Zealand, where Martin Doyle’s webmaster lives, it is spring – so the timing is perfect. The southern spring has sprung and Martin Doyle has a new website – well, a new template at least. Same content pretty much, with some minor additions and the odd little tweak here and there – a facelift in effect.

The new-look Martin Doyle Flutes website

So a little celebration is in order and what better way to celebrate than with music…

Joe Doyle makes music

Joe Doyle

Recently added to the Martin Doyle’s flute music page is a lovely piece composed by Martin’s son Joe Doyle. Joe was out in the garden at his father’s home in County Clare a couple of weeks back, ‘playing around’ with his recently acquired Martin Doyle rosewood flute, when a tune drifted through the music-rich ether of Clare and manifested itself through Joe’s flute. Joe dedicated the tune to his father by naming it ‘The Flute Maker Martin Doyle’ (‘by the flute makers son’, as Joe quipped) and recorded it later that day.

As a result, ‘The Flute Maker Martin Doyle’ can be heard here.
Fair play to Joe – a lovely tune.

I am sure that it is always very encouraging for any craftsman to receive some positive feedback from his clients. After all, most instrument makers spend many hours of each week alone in their workshops labouring to create something that they hope will please the person they are making it for. So when a happy client offers a positive comment, it must be very satisfying and encouraging. Two such comments have just been added to Martin Doyle’s website from happy clients in America.

Amanda Drinsinger — flute player from the USA:

“I received the flute early last week. It sounds rich and beautiful and it is very beautiful and of excellent craftsmanship! I am extremely pleased with your work and I think you are the world’s best celtic flute craftsman! I have not played or seen in person any other instrument that matches the sound, beauty and quality put into this flute!”

Ruth Yates — flute player from Hollywood, Maryland, USA:

“Hi Martin. I just wanted to tell you that the rosewood flute I purchased from you in October [2009] is so lovely. I found it very easy to play and the tone is so mellow and nice. Don and I really liked coming to your home and seeing your workshop and picking up the flute. It was such a genuinely good experience meeting you and seeing how the instruments come together. Regards, Ruth Yates.”

These and other kind comments from owners of Martin Doyle flutes can be viewed here: Testimonials

Martin Doyle completed his first set of Baroque flutes early in 2000. Originally working with African Blackwood, he modeled his Baroque flute design on an eighteenth century Rottenburgh Baroque flute. Martin has also made Baroque flutes from Irish Boxwood — one of which is featured below.

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Welcome to Martin Doyle’s weblog…

About Martin Doyle

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Martin Doyle grew up in the seaside town of Bray in County Wicklow. One of four children in a family with music in their blood, Martin was influenced and inspired by his mothers melodious singing from a very early age – learning songs that have stayed with him to this day.
Read more:About Martin DoyleContact Martin Doyle